Sugar Cookies Bars

These soft sugar cookie bars from Mel's Kitchen Cafe were everything I wanted- quick, easy, delicious, with a great soft texture. I made them as a Halloween treat, but one could change up the colors of the frosting and the sprinkles to match any holiday. I added almond extract because I really like that in sugar cookies. I added to both the base and the frosting.

Sugar Cookies Bars

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Bars:

¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, softened to cool room temperature
¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (29 g) powdered sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Frosting:

6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 ½ cups (285 g) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk or cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ almond extract

Sprinkles, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  For the bars, in a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the almond extract (optional), flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.

3.  Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and grease. Press the sugar cookie dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Don’t overbake! The bars should have hardly any color around the edges and barely be set in the middle. Let the bars cool completely before frosting.

4.  For the frosting, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth (if the mixture has trouble coming together, add a drop or two of milk). Add in the vanilla, milk or cream, and food coloring (if using), and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and top with sprinkles.

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Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta

I really loved this recipe and made it twice lately. The first time, I used radiatore pasta, shown in these pics. I just made it again tonight and used a rigatoni-like pasta. I liked both ways. The flavor of the pumpkin plus the sausage is really good in here, and cream cheese makes it creamy. I modified the recipe to use one full can of pumpkin puree so I don't have any leftover. 

We had this with roast broccoli both times. (An easy way to roast broccoli is to preheat your oven to around 400 F, and pour 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in. Let the oil heat up in the oven. Then dump a bag of frozen broccoli florets onto the hot pan, quickly season with spices and salt, and put back in the oven. Roast until it's done to your liking.) 

Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta

adapted from The Tipsy Housewife

1 pound of ziti, rigatoni, or radiatore pasta (16 ounces)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion

1 lb. Italian sausage

fresh sage leaves, 6-8, chopped

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 8-oz package of Neufchatel or cream cheese

2 1/2 cups water

1 heaping tablespoon of beef bouillon paste (ex: Better than Bouillon)

black papper, to taste 

dried parsley

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt, to taste

1.  Boil the pasta according to the package direction, drain, and reserve one cup of the pasta water in case it is needed.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep sided skillet. (I use a large non-stick stock pot.) Finely chop the onion. Add to the pot/pan and sauté the onion until tender. Add all of the sausage to the skillet. Cook fully, until golden brown, breaking up the meat into a fine crumble as you cook it. Season with black pepper to taste. Add the fresh sage to the skillet. If you do not have fresh sage, add about 2 teaspoons of dried. Taste and add as much as you like. Sauté the sage for a minute or two with the sausage/onion.

3.  Add the bouillon to the skillet and the 3 cups of water. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and simmer on very low 20 minutes. Cut up the cream cheese into small cubes and let soften for a few minutes while the skillet simmers. After the 20 minutes, add the canned pumpkin and the cream cheese to the pot/pan. Whisk until the cream cheese and the pumpkin are incorporated into the broth. Bring to a simmer again, whisk here and there, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. The sauce should reduce down a bit but will still be more liquid than thick. Add a few pinches of the dried parsley.

4.  Add the pasta to the skillet, toss the pasta to coat, and simmer about 3-5 minutes. Let the pasta absorb some of the sauce. This will thicken as it cools. Add the Parmesan cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste now, and add salt if needed. I needed about 1/2 teaspoon. Also, at this point, you can add some reserved pasta water if the sauce is not creamy enough. Top with parsley flakes, if desired, and serve. 

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Almond Croissants- Croissants aux Amandes

These are so good! And I had no idea how easy they were to make until I read David Lebovitz's newsletter and accompanying recipe. You just need day old croissants and a few other ingredients. Luckily for me, day-old croissants are super cheap at one of my local stores. I made 6 of these and they were gone in no time. I really need to make them again soon. 

Croissants aux Amandes 

from David Lebovitz

Syrup
1/2 cup (125ml) water
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum, amaretto, or kirsch (optional)

Frangipane
1/2 cup (50g) almond flour 
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 1/2 tablespoons (50g) butter, at room temperature
A few drops pure almond extract (I used a little more than 1/4 tsp)
Pinch of salt
4 day-old croissants
1/2 cup (40g) sliced almonds
Powdered sugar

1.  Make the syrup by heating the water and sugar in a medium saucepan until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, then add the liquor, if using.

2.  Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

3.  Make the frangipane by beating the almond flour, sugar, egg, butter, almond extract, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand) at medium-to-high speed until the frangipane is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4.  Slice each croissant in half horizontally, stopping just before you reach the other side, so it can open like a book. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Liberally brush the insides, both top and bottom, with the syrup. You want to make sure both sides are completely saturated with the syrup. Don’t be shy- you really want to saturate the croissants. 

5.  Spread the inside of each croissant with 2 tablespoons of the frangipane. Press down firmly on each croissant so the top is relatively flat. Spread the remaining frangipane over the tops of each croissant.

6.  Sprinkle each croissant with 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds and bake the croissants until golden brown, about 15 minutes, but check them a few minutes before the recommended baking time. Let them cool a few minutes, then sprinkle them with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Slow Cooker Cuban Pork

This pork was so good! We had it twice in two weeks. I just made the marinade the night before for an easier workday morning. To serve, we just used regular canned black beans and plain white rice (made in the rice cooker). You could totally use a seasoned black bean recipe and cilantro-lime rice, though. We spooned the flavorful sauce over the plain rice and beans and it was plenty of flavor for them. After shredding the pork, instead of broiling it, we sauteed it in a large non-stick skillet on the stove. It got some nice crispy edges that way. 

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork 

adapted from Valerie's Kitchen 

3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt roast)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divide

3/4 bunch fresh cilantro (save some for garnish)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ or 1 whole jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped into big pieces, optional

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

⅓ cup orange juice

¼ cup lime juice

Optional, for serving

fresh cilantro

lime wedges

steamed white rice

black beans, warmed

1. Place the pork into the crockpot. Place all of the other ingredients (up to the optional ones) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the mojo sauce over the pork in the slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, until the meat is tender enough to shred with a fork. Right in the crock pot, shred the pork with 2 forks. Remove any large pieces of fat. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with some olive oil. Place some pork on the skillet and sear, turning occasionally to get some crusty edges. Drizzle with the sauce from the crockpot. Remove from heat. 

3. Serve the pork with warmed black beans and and cooked white rice garnished with cilantro leaves and lime wedges, if desired. Use the remaining sauce from the crockpot to drizzle over the meat, rice and beans. Enjoy!

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Biscoff White Chocolate Bars

Wow- these bars were one of the yummiest things I've made recently. I wasn't expecting them to be SO good- I just was wanting an easy recipe to use up some biscoff that I'd had open for awhile. I bought a giant jar of it and we weren't going through it fast enough. This was the perfect use for it. (I did use my kitchen scale to meausure out 14 oz.) These bars were gone way too fast and there are only 4 of us here. I want to make them again soon.

Biscoff White Chocolate Bars

from Cooking with Karli

1 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
14 oz creamy biscoff spread

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180·C). Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. This will take about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

3. Next, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt). Mix until incorporated and add the white chocolate chips. Once a soft dough has formed, you will press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula or spoon, spread the Biscoff cookie butter on top of the cookie dough in the pan. (I put the biscoff in a bowl first and microwaved it about 20-30 seconds to soften it slightly. This made it easier to spread. If you do this, watch it as my microwave is very weak and you may need less time.) 

4. On top of the biscoff layer, crumble the remaining cookie dough and press it in slightly. (This part is really hard because the dough is sticky. I didn't get it perfect edge-to-edge because as it bakes it spreads and fills in a bit. So try not to stress. It doesn't need to be perfect.) Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15-17 minutes. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

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Everything & the Elote Greek Yogurt Dip-TJ's Copycat

I tried this dip, from Trader Joe's, this summer when we were in the US. It was good and seemed simple enough to re-create at home. I brought back a few jars of my beloved Elote seasoning, and made this the other day. It was delish with thick corn chips for dipping. 

I used a German brand of Greek-style yogurt for this- it's a bit thinner than the ones I tried in the US. The US ones were so thick, a spoon could stand up straight in them. The German one I like here is more like a sour cream texture. Use whatever you like here- if your yogurt is too thick, you can thin it with milk. I used full-fat, but you can experiment with lower fat or fat free. This reicpe is from the ingredient list on the TJ's dip, plus a few recipes I found online. 

Everything & the Elote Greek Yogurt Dip TJ's Copycat

from around the Web

1 heaping cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen super sweet white OR yellow corn kernels (or canned)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese OR crumbled cojita cheese

2 teaspoons TJ's Everything & the Elote Seasoning Blend

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

tortilla chips/veggies for serving

1. If corn is frozen, run warm water over it a little strainer and set aside to drain while you make the recipe. 

2. Mix the yogurt, corn (if ready), feta, Elote Seasoning, and cilantro in a bowl. If you didn't add the corn before, add it now. You can eat this right away or refrigerate until serving. I let mine sit overnight. Enjoy!

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Cherry Crisp

This cherry crisp was so delicious! And easy. It uses frozen cherries so you can make it anytime. I loved the almonds in here. I also added a bit of almond extract to the cherries. 

Cherry Crisp

adapted from Valerie's Kitchen 

36 ounces frozen dark cherries, no sugar added, thawed (3 12-ounce bags)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into 1-inch slices

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, toss cherries with lemon juice, vanilla and optional almond extract. Add granulated sugar and ¼ cup flour and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 ¼ cups flour, oats, brown sugar, ¼ cup sliced almonds, and salt. Work in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the fruit. Sprinkle with remaining almonds.

3.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

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